The biological activities of many proteins are modulated by binding of the proteins to other molecules. For example, lectins are a class of proteins whose activities are affected by binding to carbohydrates, including monosaccharides and oligosaccharides. Lectins are involved in many important functions, including, for example, active transport and chemotaxis in bacteria, establishing viral infections, mediating leukocyte-endothelial cell recognition, mediating attachment of bacteria or viruses to other cells, and recognizing normal or pathologic glycoproteins and polysaccharides. Because lectins are involved in important biological activities, they are attractive targets for drug therapy.
One approach to identifying a molecule with potential therapeutic value is to assess the ability of that molecule to bind to a protein having an important biological activity, because the activity of the protein may be altered by its binding to a molecule that does not normally serve as a substrate or ligand for the protein.
What is needed in the art are new compounds capable of binding to a protein of interest, and methods for identifying compounds having the ability to bind to a protein of interest.